Red Awakening (Red Zone 2)

He flashed her a smile. “Apart from pray, bonita? Hold him down as best you can. This is going to hurt like hell, and it might be enough to rouse him. We don’t want him striking out and ruining our effort to save his sorry life.”

She looked for a way to pin him down without causing further damage. She couldn’t lie across his chest, so she lay over his hips, using her slight body weight to keep him still. Her hands curled around his left arm, holding it tight in case he struck out. He didn’t move.

She turned her head to watch Ignacio. He’d cut Mace’s shirt away, showing laser burn on his shoulder. The sight made her feel nauseous.

“I think that might have been me,” she confessed. “I didn’t look where I was firing.”

Ignacio grinned as he felt his way down from the top of Mace’s chest, counting off ribs. “I’ll be sure to let him know that once he wakes up.”

“He’d better wake up. He’s completely screwed up my life, and I need to make him pay for it.”

“You’re a little bloodthirsty, aren’t you? I can see why he’s enamored.” He snapped the bottom part of the antenna, leaving him with a metal tube. “Ready?”

She nodded and tightened her grip.

A loud blast sounded from outside the shuttle. The craft dipped.

“Two minutes until we bail,” Sandi shouted. “I can’t land this thing. Even on a slide, it will crumple like aluminum foil. We have to jump.”

“Little busy here,” Ignacio called. “I’m trying to save your brother.”

He didn’t hesitate after that. He sank his blade into Mace’s chest in the spot he’d marked; then, as he withdrew the knife, he wedged the tube in its place, holding the edges tight to stop the blood from spilling.

Mace didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound. Keiko’s stomach shot to her throat.

“Is he…?” She couldn’t say it.

Ignacio felt for a pulse. “He’s alive. His heart has slowed slightly. The trachea has moved back into position.” He looked up at her. “It worked, but I need tape or something to keep this in place and stop the bleeding.”

“I don’t have tape. Wait. Can you use my bra? Can you pad the area around the tube with it and use the elastic to keep it in place?”

Amusement flashed in his eyes. “Sure. That would work.”

Keiko dug under her shorn dress, unhooked her bra, pulled it out through her sleeve, and handed it to him. The tiny piece of red lace looked ridiculous in his grasp.

“Good thinking, bonita.”

Working fast, he wrapped it diagonally, under the arm nearest the tube, then over his opposite shoulder, like a sling. “We need some padding for around the tube. Take my knife and cut some material from the seat.”

Keiko didn’t hesitate. There was no time. As he carefully wrapped the elastic part of the bra around Mace like a sling, she cut strips out of the seat behind her. She handed them to him.

“You’d make a fine field medic,” he told her.

“If I never see another wound, it will be too soon. Now, hurry up.”

He packed the wound around the tube, cut a hole in one of the lace-and-satin cups, and then threaded it over the tube to keep it all in place. “It shouldn’t move around too much. It’s the best we can do. If your implants still work, take some photos. They’ll come in handy later.” He grinned at her.

She didn’t find it funny. “His color looks better.” Maybe less blue around the mouth.

“We’ve vented the buildup of air, but there’s nothing I can do about the blood. We’ve bought him some time, but he needs a surgeon.”

The door on the side of the craft opened, and Sandi the Amazon appeared, clinging to the outside of the shuttle. “Damn dividing partition won’t lower because we lost electrics. It was either this or smash the glass, and I didn’t think that would help Mace.” Her eyes were on her brother, but there was no sign of emotion. “Good job packing the vent. Red has always been his color. Now help me get him up. We need to bail now.”

“I’m glad the bayou is deeper than it was when we were kids—otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough water to cushion our landing.” Ignacio looked down as he helped lift Mace. “Scratch that. The water is filthy. I’d rather die from the jump than get a bacterial infection that will take me out later.”

“Stop whining. Take more of his weight.”

“You’re serious,” Keiko said. “We’re going to jump into the water with Mace like this? It could kill him.”